Eastlake Dresser Makeover

1900's Eastlake Dresser

This lovely Eastlake mahogany dresser dates back to the early 1900's. While it's nearly impossible to trace its origins, it's not too hard to figure out that this piece is made of high quality mahogany with beautiful raised panels of rosewood which complements the reddish tone of the mahogany. (Unfortunately, I can't find the "before" photo for this dresser, or I would have put it in this blog post. )

We purchased this dresser at Materials Unlimited, in Ypsilanti. It was down in the basement in the farthest corner, behind some tall old boards. We almost overlooked it with all the clutter in front of it.

It was a miracle that this dresser hadn't fallen completely apart, considering the extent of damage it had withstood over a century. I can assure you, it didn't look like this when Jim pulled it away from the basement wall. It had broken sides, drawers and a cracked back. It required a lot of restructuring and elbow grease before it could be refinished, but it was well worth it.

It is easy for a trained eye to spot quality furniture, but with these five easy guidelines, anyone can do it. Here a few pointers to look for when deciding whether or not to have an item of furniture restored and reasons why restoration is a good choice.

1. How are the bones? A good "bone" structure with minor damage is worth refinishing. If the piece is damaged to the point where there is more replacement wood than original wood, while still usable, it may not as valuable. Check for major cracks or deep scratches on the larger sections of a piece of furniture, as these may affect the amount of work required to bring it back to life.


2. What kind of wood is it?  Good furniture is primarily made from hardwoods; oak, maple, cherry, mahogany, walnut, alder, bamboo, or a combination of a few. A lot of wood is made of pine, which is a great wood, but the more hardwood used, the more valuable and restorable it is.

3. What is its value? For collectors, functionality isn't as important as age, condition and style, but for a person who wants their grandmother's hutch restored, it's all about sentimentality. Value means different things to different people for various reasons. Once you determine the value of an item to you or others who will eventually own it, you are more likely to make a better choice on spending money to have it restored. A good piece of furniture is almost always worth the price of restoration, as it is forgotten long before the item of furniture is no longer usable.

4. What am I willing to spend? Example: If you paid $25.00 for an end table, then paid a restorer $250.00 to restore the table, then sell that table on E-Bay for $2500.00 when restored (it happens!) then it is money well spent. The less you spend originally, the better. If you obtained the item as a part of an inheritance, even better. Most of your grandmother's pieces are well worth the price you spend to have them refinished, because they likely are made of solid wood, which commands a higher resale price.

5. What is its function? If you inherit a large buffet that you simply don't like or don't have the space for, there's a good chance you wouldn't want to spend money to have it refinished. You'll likely sell it online or take it to the Salvation Army. However, if you inherited a beautiful antique coffee table that you absolutely love, but it has surface scratches, you may decide to have it restored to give it new life that will last for generations. It's all about functionality. No matter how valuable an item of furniture is, if you don't like it, or it doesn't function well for your needs, it will not be as valuable to you.

I won't lie to you, quality furniture restoration is expensive, because it is hard work. It is time consuming, frustrating, hazardous and at times, seemingly impossible, but when that scratched, broken item of furniture is once again as lovely as the day it was created, it is always worth the time, effort and money spent to make it pretty again. That's when restoration becomes more than sanding, stripping and refinishing. That's when it is magical.